Carts for barbecue grills are quite common and come in a variety of forms. Most carts used to support a barbecue grill are left outside and are, therefore, exposed to extreme environmental conditions including being left outside through a harsh winter and a hot summer. In addition, grill carts undergoes rough treatment, since they are designed to be frequently moved about an owner's property.
Fireboxes that are supported by barbecue grill carts tend to be quite heavy and require substantial structural support. Furthermore, since the temperature of a firebox on a barbecue grill can get extremely high, for safety purposes, structural stability of a barbecue grill cart is of utmost importance.
Examples of barbecue grill carts can be seen in the following United States Patents:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,984,515 shows a portable barbecue grill cart with various tubular members connected together by nuts and bolts with some telescopic engagement among cooperating tubular components to facilitate assembly. The cart of the '515 patent has no significant enclosure of the lower tank storage area, and obtains on structural benefit or stability from side panels. Another example of a grill cart is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,452,707, wherein the cart is comprised of several tubular members connected by wooden cross members and a bottom panel. U.S. Pat. No. 5,579,775 is an example of a barbecue grill cart that is formed of plastic legs that telescopically engage with plastic connecting parts and molded plastic panels. U.S. Pat. No. 5,941,229 is an example of a barbecue grill cart with rectangular tubular frame members with welded tabs as connecting structures. U.S. Pat. No. 6,332,395 is a further example of a barbecue grill cart with rectangular tubular members supported at their lower ends by a bottom panel with rectangular cutouts in the corners thereof. Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 6,561,082 is an example of a barbecue grill cart comprised of bent round tubing that is telescopically joined to form four main supports that are joined on four sides by connecting panels bolted to the tubular members.
All of the foregoing examples of prior art grill carts supporting a high temperature firebox, but have significant problems associated with resistance to racking forces and long-term stability in extreme environments.
In addition to pressure to improve strength, stability and safety, manufacturers of barbecue grills are under constant pressure from competitors to design their grill carts and components so that they are low cost and may be assembled with as little labor as possible. Labor associated with assembly of components is a key factor in achieving a low cost, yet high quality, barbecue grill and cart assembly.
The grill cart structure and methods of assembling a grill cart structure described herein are designed to maximize both the structural integrity of the grill cart and to maximize the ease with which the cart may be assembled. This is accomplished by forming two side panels, each of which is formed of an inverted, rectilinear U-shaped frame to which is affixed a side panel with a bent lower edge to provide the bottom of the side panel with additional structural strength. The side panel is preferably connected to the side frame by weld, but other means of connection may be used. The inverted U-shaped frames surrounding the side panels contain inwardly extending ears or tabs on the front and rear edges to which the front and rear upper cross bars may be attached joining the inside front and rear edges, respectively, of opposing left and right side panels. The bent lower edges of the left and right side panels each contain an upwardly and inwardly and inwardly angled lip designed to engage the left and right side edges, respectively, of a bottom panel. Fasteners are then used to connect the downwardly depending left and right side edges of the bottom panel to the lower edges of the left and right side panels, respectively. A rear panel has a similarly shaped (i.e., upwardly and inwardly angled) lip on its lower edge that is designed to engage the downwardly depending rear edge of the bottom panel. An inwardly extending horizontal flange on the upper edge of the rear panel engages the top of the rear horizontal cross bars and is fastened thereto. The lower edge of the rear panel is lifted into engagement with the rear edge of the bottom panel as the top flange of the rear panel is place on top of the rear cross bar. Each of the U-shaped side frames contains an upwardly facing front and rear side hook that is welded to the underside and outside face of the horizontal upper portion of the inverted U-shaped side frame. The hooks are intended to facilitate the attachment of a side tray or side burner housing. Front hooks, also upwardly facing extend are welded to the front face of the front part of the U-shaped side frame, and the front hooks allow for the easy attachment of a control panel housing to the grill cart structure.
The numerous advantages of the structure just described will become more apparent upon reading the following detailed description, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.